Sleeping Dragons
by osirisredgirl
Summary: Every witch and wizard knows that life is really just a collection of moments. Chapter 4 - James Potter
1. Forgotten

**Title: **Forgotten

**Challenge: **Character Diversity Bootcamp

**Word Count: **249

**Status: **In-Complete

**Character: **The Sorting Hat

* * *

For most of the year, The Sorting Hat spent his days working on the song that he would sing at next year's Sorting Night Feast. Ever since Godric had entrusted him with the duty of making sure that every young witch and wizard had a home at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he'd spent most of his days working on drafts and re-drafts of every song. It was an extremely important task, and it was one that had, no doubt, impacted the lives of many children who walked through the doors of the castle.

But it was lonely.

For the most part, Professor Dumbledore didn't speak to him much. He much preferred to spend his time tinkering with the various muggle and wizarding inventions that had been brought into the office over the years.

He often felt forgotten, sitting up on the shelf. Sure, he had an important job, but he would have appreciated a good conversation now and again.

In the years past, there were times when the Headmaster would have his own hat rack and he would be able to have some conversation - there was a bowler hat that he'd been friends with when Headmaster Dippet was in office and Headmistress Mole years earlier had a lovely bonnet that could talk for hours.

"Better go over the song again," he murmured to himself, because it needed to be perfect - and he couldn't let his loneliness get in the way.


	2. Facade

**Title: **Facade

**Challenge: **Character Diversity Bootcamp

**Word Count: **259 | 508

**Character: **Lucius Malfoy

* * *

The Battle of Hogwarts was The Dark Lord's magnum opus, a cacophony of death and destruction. Students wearing red, yellow, blue (and was that green?) are locked in duels-for-their-lives against full-grown wizards cloaked in darkness with years of dark magic at their disposal. Lucius had never been bothered by the acts that he had been required to commit at the behest of The Dark Lord, but now that he sees students getting hit by various spells - oftentimes writhing in pain on the ground or falling down dead altogether, it occurs to him that Draco could have just as easily been one of them.

The facade that he'd kept in place for _years_ begins to crumble - he'd done his duty as caretaker of Malfoy Manor at Wiltshire, he'd maintained the fortune, he'd served as Hogwarts Governor and never once batted an eye, even when he'd pushed for Albus Dumbledore's resignation when many of the other governors considered him the best chance they had at keeping Hogwarts safe.

The tattoo of his prisoner identification number in Azkaban was not enough to dismantle his mask, and when The Dark Lord asked for his son to settle his debts, he doesn't blink but now he does. Because he might be too late - Draco might be killed at any moment by a stray killing curse or explosion or any spell that is flying through the air. A myriad of possibilities run through his mind, each more terrible than the last.

"DRACO! DRACO, CAN YOU HEAR ME? DRACO!"


	3. Book

**Title: **Book

**Character: **Hermione Granger

**Word Count: **172 | 680

* * *

Hermione had always loved books. They had a beginning, a middle and an end and they were always full of characters that she could know and befriend without them judging her in return. She would often stay up late curled up under her blankets long after her mother had told her lights out. She'd read books about fairytales where princesses would be rescued by handsome princes or books with complicated mysteries where the main character would be thrust into a terrifying situation in the countryside with no recourse but their own wit and observation skills.

A few months earlier, when she'd received her letter inviting her to Hogwarts, she had widened her selections, reading books on Charms, Magical History and Potions, as well as the occasional book about Herbology and Arithmancy.

However, as she craned her neck to look up at the giant grey mountain troll in the girl's toilet, she couldn't help but think that perhaps there was a bit more to the world than books after all.


	4. Suitcase

**Title:** Suitcase

**Character: **James Potter

**Word Count: **207 | 887

* * *

On the last day of their seventh year, James took a moment to look around the Gryffindor boys' dorm. The sheets and blankets had been taken off each of the four-poster beds that were positioned in a circle around the room. The fireplace looked ash-gray and alone, and all of his mates' belongings had been packed away into their trunks.

Tomorrow he would wake up at home and he would never come back to Hogwarts again. Even though he knew that he could see Moony, Padfoot and Wormtail whenever he wanted, there was something about seeing everything in the dorm packed away that felt so _final_.

But it wasn't final. Even though he was leaving Hogwarts, he was about to spend the rest of his life with Lily Evans. They would live in a nice flat where Lily would get to pick out all the furniture and wallpaper. They'd sit on the porch and hold hands and grow old together.

Of course Padfoot would probably make fun of him if he ever said anything about sitting on a porch and holding hands with Lily, but it didn't matter. They were going to have all the time in the world to be together.


End file.
